Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to cables and, more particularly, to optical fiber cables.
Description of Related Art
Often, it is necessary to access an optical fiber cable at various points along the optical fiber cable (also denoted as mid-span access) in order to provide service to the end-user or customer. Because of the work involved for mid-span access, there is an ongoing need for smaller and lighter cables that meet constraints that are imposed by cable standards (e.g., Telcordia GR-20-CORE, etc.), fiber standards (e.g., ITU-T G.657, etc.), or other well-known requirements in the industry.
Unfortunately, slight changes in fiber or cable design can result in unexpectedly large changes in actual performance, thereby causing unacceptable and unpredictable mismatches between theoretical designs and actual performance characteristics. Consequently, the task of manufacturing lighter and stronger cables is oftentimes non-trivial.